Caravaggio and Rembrandt

Baroque Visual Art

Power of Church and Monarchies partially restored

Excess ornamentation valuedRome became an artistic centerArt filled with emotion/dramaRealism instead of idealismChiaroscuro –Kept from Renaissance and

used to create intense drama

Baroque Period Basics

ItalianPraised for his outstanding detail in paintingCondemned for several reasons:

Personal life – violent, aggressive and confrontational - killed an individual in Rome – consistently jailed

Works were not modest/very violent – excessive/unnecessary nudity - didn’t celebrate beauty as was the norm for art

Many felt his works lacked theological correctness – especially in the Death of the Virgin – The church loved his skill and he was the primary painter for the church– eventually excommunicated due to conflicts with the church – “The Antichrist of Painting”

Caravaggio

One of best known Baroque artistsDutch (native to the Netherlands)Developed revolutionary technique

Use of large amount of paint Use of fewer brushstrokes Made paintings almost seem unfinished (clear and formal looking

from a distance)Painted many landscapes and made etchings about nature in the

1630s Many featured trees that had been blown over/very dark cloudy

skies

Rembrandt

1640 works became more solemnFeatured family tragedies he had suffered

1650s his style changed againRicher colorsStronger brushstrokes moved him further from

fine detailLast years he focused on self portraits that

showed his grief and sorrow that he had suffered

Rembrandt Cont.

Bach and Handel

Baroque Music

Like in visual arts, emotion was very importantMost patrons were nobles from state or churchLittle thought of preservation of music

Musicians saw themselves as employees rather than artists and created on demand

Music specific to the occasionFew musicians kept their music – preservation usually

depended on the patron retaining the workCreated independently for the event – often for

festivals, weddings, ceremonies, the church, and holidays

Basics

Court organist in WeimarComposed the great works for organ

Chapel master to the prince of Anhalt1723 became cantor of St. Thomas’ Church in

LeipzigWeekly church cantatasFestive music for major events

Fugue – one-movement composition/uses imitative counterpoint

Bach's Music

Composed music mostly for the publicKnown for genre known as oratorio

(composed music with vocals)His most famous told the life of Jesus

(Messiah)Collapsed at the end of a performance of

Messiah and died 3 days later

Handel's music

Baroque DanceBallet – The Beginnings

The Birth of BalletGrew from court dance of RenaissanceDance masters became a necessity – nobles

studied with dance mastersMasters started to use rehearsalsDance manuals became common – taught

both dance and social etiquette

Catherine de MediciGiven some credit for beginnings of ballet in France

1533 – married French King Henry IIShe was Italian = French did not like Italy (the marriage

was meant to create an alliance)She brought Italian dance master Balthasar de Beaujoyeaux

– duties of court entertainment1581 – Balthasar created Ballet Comique de la Reine (the

Queen’s Comic Ballet) – first true ballet Included: large sets, songs, poetry, and prose – performed

by court nobles

King Louis XIVContinued the French tradition of Ballet“The Sun King” – performed role of Apollo in Ballet de la Nuit

(Ballet of the Night) in 16531661 – established Academie Royale de la Danse (Royal

Academy of Dance) – aided in professionalization of the art of ballet

Pierre Beauchamp – king’s ballet master – developed common ballet terminology and technique

Ballet no longer function of court – moved from palace to theatre

First female dancers to professionally perform appeared in 1681 in Le Triomphe de l’Amour (The Triumph of Love)

5-6 sentence summary

Summary

Baroque Visual Samples

Caravaggio

Conversion of Saint Paul

Calling of Saint Matthew

David Victorious over Goliath

David with the Head of Goliath

The Entombment of Christ

Self-Portrait as Bacchus

Martyrdom of Saint Matthew

Boy with a Basket of Fruit

The Crucifixion of Saint Peter

Judith Beheading Holofernes

The Musicians

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

Death of the Virgin

Victorious Cupid (Amor Vincit Omnia)

Saint John the Baptist

Rembrandt

Self Portrait 1629

A Scholar

The Anatomy Lecture of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp

Philosopher in Meditation

The Blinding of Samson

Self-Portrait 1640

David and Jonathan

The Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq (Night Watch)

Christ with the Sick around Him, Receiving the Children (etching)

The Mill

Aristotle contemplating a bust of Homer

Joseph Accused by Potiphar's Wife

Self-Portrait 1661

Self-Portrait 1669

Baroque Music Samples

BachToccata and Fugue In D Minor Invention 1Anna Magdalena's NotebookJesu, Joy of Man's DesiringAir On a G String

HandelEv'ry Valley Shall Be ExaltedGlory to God In the HighestWhy Do the Nations So Furiously Rage?

Hallelujah ChorusPastoral Symphony

VivaldiThe Four Seasons, SpringThe Four Seasons, SummerThe Four Seasons, AutumnThe Four Seasons, WinterConcerto in C Major for Mandolin and

Strings

The Power of Art: Caravaggio notes

Baroque ppt. notes with summary

Baroque samples

Baroque Binder Check